How You Get the Girl

We Give Them Something To Talk About

I spent Sunday thinking about my relationship with Ben. I considered trying to talk to him that day but chose to sleep on it. Okay, really, I just could not face him yet. I got up early on Monday morning and knew I was going to have to do it. I was going to have to see Ben that day no matter what and deal with everything I had learned so I texted him.

Harper: Can we meet before school to talk?

Ben: ok

Harper: I'll see you there at 7:30.

I was putting my stuff away in my locker when Ben walked up. I looked around. It was still early but there were other people at their lockers. I suddenly realized this was a mistake. I should have gone over to his house yesterday. I did not want to talk here, with people around.

"Let's go someplace where we can talk," I suggested.

"Here works for me," Ben said and I realized Ben was furious.

"Maybe we should talk later. Let's go to your house after school," I offered.

"No, let's talk right here right now," Ben demanded.

"I don't think this is a good idea," I told him.

"The Westbrook debate team was at that tournament, Miles saw you kiss Chip," he bit out.

Oh shit. "Ben," I said, "he kissed me, "I did not kiss him back. I promise."  If Miles had seen Chip kiss me he must have seen me push him away.

"You still went out with another guy. Jesus, Harper. It makes me crazy."

"I didn't go out with another guy. I wouldn't do that. I went out with a friend."

"But I told you he was going to hit on you and you didn't listen to me."

"Ben, you're acting like I meant to cheat on you and I didn't. I didn't do anything except have dinner with a friend. Chip kissed me. I pushed him away." It was not my fault Chip had kissed me.  Ben couldn't actually blame me for someone kissing me when I immediately set the guy strait that I wasn't interested, could he? Why was he acting like such a jerk? He was the one who had been keeping secrets. He was the one who had cheated on his last girlfriend. I was suddenly so angry at him I did not even think about what I was saying, the words just flew out of my mouth. "I would never cheat on you but you can't say the same thing can you?"

"Harper, don't be ridiculous. I've never cheated on you," Ben stated with some heat.

"Not on me. On Clare. She cornered me at your fencing meet and told me you had."

"I never cheated on Clare."

"Sure, you didn't. I felt really guilty on Saturday so I went and talked to Beth. She told me a few things and Clare told me a lot more," Ben started at that "And I started to put some things together. I realized, this is not about me, it's about you. You think I'd cheat on you because you know, in the same place, you have cheated or come close enough that it's pretty much the same thing. You're smart. You're good at thinking your way out of things. I'm sure you were always on a break or it was just after a fight with Clare that was big enough that it seemed like a breakup. You flat out told me that I should not trust Chip because guys only act that way when they want to be more than friends with a girl. You told me that you acted that way with me because you wanted to be more than friends with me. But you were still with Clare when we started working on our project together when you were acting like that with me. We spent almost all our time together but you were still dating someone else. Someone I did not know about and I'm sure Clare did not know about me."

"You were still dating Clare when you drove me home from that first fencing meet. You walked me to my door and reached up and tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear. At the time, I thought you were going to kiss me. My parents pulled into the driveway and you didn't. I told myself you didn't like me that way, that I was imagining things. But I know you a lot better now. You would have kissed me if my parents hadn't come, home, wouldn't you?"